A cannabis farm has been discovered beneath a trapdoor in a house in Aigburth.

Officers from Merseyside Police cannabis dismantling team recovered 41 cannabis plants from the basement of a house in Aigburth Road yesterday.

The basement was only accessible through a trapdoor in the lounge. Paraphernalia associated with growing cannabis was also recovered from the property.

Merseyside Police recovered 41 cannabis plants from the basement of a house in Aigburth Road accessible through a trapdoor in the lounge.

Neighbourhood Inspector Stuart Quirk said: "This was an excellent discovery and we are determined to find those responsible to bring them to justice.

"There are serious ramifications for those involved in the growth of cannabis as well as for the community.

"Cannabis production is often associated with serious criminality and anyone involved in the growth of the drug exposes themselves to a criminal underworld where the money from the sale of cannabis is used to buy firearms and other criminal assets."

Electricity was also found to have been abstracted at the property.

Neighbourhood Inspector Quirk said: "Cannabis is often grown in the heart of law-abiding communities whose homes are put at risk of fire as cannabis farms are often supplied by illegal and dangerous electricity means.

"We hope that the image of cannabis being seen as a harmless drug is being eroded and that people take the issue as seriously as we do.

"Cannabis has a very distinctive smell and we urge anyone with any information about the suspected growth of the drug in their neighbourhood to contact us so we can take action against those putting our communities at risk."

Some of the signs that cannabis is being grown are strange smells and sounds, frequent and varied visitors to a property, often at unusual times, gardening equipment being taken into a property, such as plant pots, fertiliser, fans and industrial lighting, and sealed windows.

Anyone with any information in relation to the growth of cannabis in their area is asked to call Merseyside Police on 101, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.